International News
Hunger Protest: Our Nationals Didn’t Fly Russian Flags In Kano SAYS Poland
Poland says seven of its nationals did not fly Russian flags in Kano, a city in North-West Nigeria.
Some protesters are seen waving the Russian flag in Kano on August 5, 2024.
Andrzej Szejna, Polish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, told private radio station RMF FM that the six students and the teacher “were in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
The seven Polish nationals were accused of playing a “suspicious role” in protests against government policies and economic hardship, the Department of State Services said upon their arrest on Thursday.
The Polish foreign ministry, however, said they were students and a teacher.
Africa’s most populous country is struggling with its worst cost-of-living crisis in years after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu introduced reforms to help revive the economy and foreign investment.
A week of protests across the country eased after a security crackdown, which rights group Amnesty International said left 21 people dead. Police and security forces say seven people have died, and deny they are responsible for the deaths.
Security agents have also arrested dozens of people for waving Russian flags in protests, behaviour similar to recent rallies in nearby Niger and Burkina Faso, where coups installed military governments that have moved closer to Moscow.
The seven Polish citizens were arrested in the northwestern state of Kano “over their suspicious role in the protest and flying of Russian flags”, according to a spokesman for the Department of State Security or DSS, which handles national security threats.
The DSS did not give any more details about what the seven had allegedly been doing in the protest.
But Andrzej Szejna said the six students and the teacher “were in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
Warsaw University said in a statement that the Chancellor of Bayero University in Kano assured it that “the students are safe and are currently in Abuja”.
“The university authorities are acting in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Polish and foreign consular services and other institutions, and are also in contact with the families of the students,” the statement added.
Since the protests began, Tinubu has made an address to the nation, appealing for patience with the reforms, which the government says will improve the economy in the long term.
But the country’s military command this week also said protests had been hijacked by “sponsors” intent on subverting the government.
Tagged #EndbadGovernanceinNigeria, the protest movement won support with an online campaign that called for the government to reduce fuel prices and tackle the cost-of-living crisis, among other demands.
AFP
German authorities deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to migration monitoring reports.
Data from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org shows the deportations occurred in phases, with 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 in March through a joint European Union operation, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June.
The February operation departed from Stuttgart and landed at Lagos Cargo Airport, with Baden-Württemberg listed as a primary participant. The March operation represented the largest single return of Nigerians recorded over three years and was executed in collaboration with Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
The reports indicate a growing reliance on multi-national chartered flights by European states to repatriate undocumented or non-resident individuals to Nigeria.
The United States has condemned the killing of members of the family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, describing the attack as horrific and urging Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed condolences to the victims’ families and called for stronger measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said
The US said it had already engaged Nigerian officials on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to curb recurring attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
“As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Christians and other Nigerians should be able to practise their faith without fear of violence.
The statement followed the July 12 attack on Kum community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where nine members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed.
According to the cleric, the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani militias, asked for him by name before opening fire on his relatives.
Dachomo, who serves as Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, said his family had repeatedly been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the violence in Plateau State.
He recalled that his grandmother and an uncle were also killed in previous attacks, adding that days after burying his relatives, he received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target.
Saudi Arabia has updated its tourist eVisa programme for 2026, limiting eligibility in Africa to only three countries as part of its list of 66 nations whose citizens can apply through the Kingdom’s online visa platform.
The move leaves most African countries, including Nigeria, outside the simplified entry scheme.
The electronic visa allows eligible travellers to visit Saudi Arabia for tourism, leisure activities, family visits and Umrah, excluding the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Applications are completed online, eliminating the need for embassy visits and lengthy visa processing.
Saudi authorities said the eVisa forms part of ongoing efforts to expand tourism, attract international visitors and simplify travel procedures through a fully digital application system. The visa is available only to citizens of approved countries and territories listed on the Kingdom’s official tourism portal.
Below is the list of African countries eligible for Saudi Arabia’s eVisa.
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
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